WHO IS HORNSLETH?

A 2009 Press Release written by Adrian Rigelsford

Enigmatic as he is elusive, accessible as he is confrontational, Kristian von Hornsleth was born in 1963 and with foundations established working in Copenhagen, he now plans to spread roots further afield, taking his word to everyone. A word, a recognised word - Hornsleth. What is Hornsleth?

Hornsleth is about questioning branding and identity through his art, developing a symbolic representations of his own name, emblazoned across countless works he's produced that now reach out over 1,000 homes in Denmark and around the world. The word is Hornsleth, questioning whether the publicity in itself is more important than the products it endorses, spreading from branding lamborghinis to sculptures, photographs to pornography, and people themselves.

The Hornsleth Village Project in Uganda saw every individual in a village change their name to Hornsleth, in a simple exchange for a pig or a goat, and outrage ensued. Headlines spread across the world, and questions about ethics arose, but you didn't hear the villagers complain… Or should we say the Hornsleths?

The Hornsleth Arms Investment Project drives questions home about the accepted face of capitalism, and the nature of human relations to cruelty, evil and how commerce can spread pain. Once the message is seen, it's not forgotten.

And then there's the incredible energy of the Deep Storage Project, energising a clarion call to mankind to try and save itself from itself, and embracing art in a way that helps to fight for the future from today.

Why Hornsleth?

Because his ideas and vision reach beyond what people see as art, and by becoming art, define what the parameters could and might well become…